Paint roller shield



April 17, 1962 T. M. BALICKI PAINT ROLLER SHIELD Filed Feb. 3, 1960 Thomas M. Ba/ick/ IN VENTOR.

BY 2mm United States Patent @fltice 3,029,458 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 3,029,458 PAINT ROLLER SHIELD Thomas M. Balicki, 9639 Gallagher, Hamtramck, Micln, assignor of fifty percent to Ben Gruskin, Detroit, Mich. Filed Feb. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 6,485 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-230) The present invention relates to readily applicable and removable fender-type anti-splash shields such as are being advocated and promoted for use on and in conjunction with popularly used roller-type paint applicators, and the object of the invention is to advance this line of endeavor by way of what is believed to be, a structurally and functionally improved roller shield.

As the preceding general statement of the nature of the invention clearly implies, spray trapping and antisplash shields are not new. In fact, persons conversant with this field of accomplishment are aware that many and structurally varying shields have been evolved and produced and, no doubt, effectually used. Nevertheless, and even so, no one type of shield has been unqualifiedly endorsed to the extent of having come into widespread use. For these and other reasons which are generally taken into consideration by manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, there is room for improvement. Confronted with this problem, and having solved the same satisfactorily, the construction herein revealed has been perfected.

In carrying out the principles of the instant concept no alterations whatsoever in the more-or-less standard paint roller applicator will be involved. To this end, two principal components or par-ts are being used; namely, an adapter bracket which is readily attachable to the roller carrying frame, and a fender-type plate, providing the shield, said shield being slidingly, adjustably and reversibly mounted on novel track means provided therefor on the adapter bracket.

More explicitly, the adapter bracket is of sectional construction. The two sections are clamped together and equipped with opposed coplanar channels defining openended tracks. These tracks serve to accommodate keying flanges constituting component portions of an attaching and an adjusting cleat carried by a median convex side of the elongated insertable and removable concave-convex shield.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional-type paint roller applicator. having the herein-advocated antisplash shield mounted thereon for use;

FIG. 2 is a central sectional view with parts in elevation which may be thought of as taken on the plane of the line 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a view on a smaller scale which is an end elevation observing FIG. 1, for example, in a direction from right to left.

As before mentioned the paint roller applicator is unchanged and has to do with a conventional type. As is usual, the U-shaped frame 6 has long and short arms 8 and Ill joined by a bight portion 11. The arm 8 constitutes a spindle on which the regular applicator roller is mounted, the roller denoted at 12. The short arm has a lateral bent portion commonly referred to as a handle shank and this shank 14 is connected to the customary wooden or equivalent hand-grip l6. 1

The adapter bracket or clamp 18 is constructed from sheet material (commercial plastics, non-corrodable metal or equivalent material) and this bracket is made up of a pair of duplicate half-sections each embodying a reinforcing plate-like web 19 bordered marginally by semicircular channel members or portions 20 and 21' at right angles to each other and embracing the component parts 10 and 14 of the frame 6. These plates are superimposed and riveted or otherwise secured together as at 22. As better shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal channel members abut each other to provide a sort of an elongated head which, in turn, is provided with lengthwise open-ended tracks 24 channel-shaped in cross section. One track, if desired, may be provided with a setscrew 26. The fender-type shield is denoted by the numeral 28 and here again this is made of sheet material and this shield is commensurate in length with the length of the roller and is arcuate in transverse cross-section. More specifically, this shield may be said to embody a generally flat median portion 29, a short wing or baflle 30 on one side and a longer suitably conforming baffle 32 on and along the other side, the latter baffle terminating in an outturned or outwardly flaring lip 34. The flat portion 29 serves to accommodate a correspondingly made flat portion 36 on the elongated cleat 37. This cleat is provided along its longitudinal edges with laterally oifset keying flanges 38 which are properly made to fit slidingly in the aforementioned channel tracks 24 as illustrated. The setscrew 26 is arranged to engage one of the flanges and to bind it frictionally in a set position so as to, in this manner, adjustably fasten the cleat on and in the trackways. The length of the cleat corresponds with the length of the shield and rivets or other suitable elements 39 (FIG. 2) function to secure the parts 29 and 37 in superimposed cooperating relationship. Thus, a simple concavo-convex elongated detachable anti-splash shield (of requisite size, shape and material) provided with a cleat, is readily applicable to the simple adapter bracket by way of tracks or channel members provided therefor on the adapter bracket. The separable connection shown makes it possible for a user to separate the parts for practical periodical cleaning needs. Also, the separable connection between the shield 28 and bracket 13 makes it possible for a user to switch the shield when painting in right and left hand joined corners of walls; whereby to paint closer, with roller, to joined walls. This change-over necessitates sliding the shield off the track means on the bracket and reversing the U-shaped frame 6 from left to right; sliding the shield on again and proceeding without any interference from the component parts of the U-frame.

As is evident, the concept comprehends the provision of a shield having the elongated marginally flanged cleat or clip (as it is sometimes called) and suitable track means mounted on the arm 10 of the frame 6 which means that it would be an easy matter for a manufacturer to provide the arm 10 with the tracks at the time of manufacture. For this reason the invention is not necessarily to be construed merely as an attachment for paint roller applicators which are now on the market inasmuch as it is practical to produce and provide the invention as a stock part of the applicator.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the speci fication, the objectives recited therein, the description of the details and the accompanying claims will enable the reader to not only understand the construction but the features and advantages, whether explicitly recited or" not. Therefore, a more lengthly description is believed to be unnecessary.

It is further understood that minor changes in shape, size, materials and similar variations may be resorted to in actual practice without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A paint applicator comprising .a frame including a rod having a handle portion and a laterally bent intermediate portion terminating in a reversely bent, spaced, parallel end portion, a paint roller journaled on said end portion, a removable rigidifying brace for the frame comprising a clamp including a pair of opposed generally isosceles triangular, substantially duplicate plates comprising opposed, right angulated marginal channels seatingly receiving said handle and said intermediate portions of the rod therebctween for positively retaining said clamp against slippage in all directions on the frame, means detachably securing the plates together in face-abutting engagement on the rod, a pair of spaced, opposed channel members integral with the plates and paralleling the roller, a flat removable and reversible bar including laterally offset longitudinal marginal flanges freely slidably engaged in the channel members, and an elongated shield for the roller mounted on said bar in spaced parallelism with said roller, said shield being of generally C-shaped cross section and including a fiat longitudinal median portion in face-abutting engagement with the bar and affixed thereto.

2. A paint applicator in accordance with claim 1, together with means for releasably securing the bar in the channel members.

3. A paint applicator in accordance with claim 2, wherein the last named means includes a setscrew threadedly mounted on one of the channel members and engaged with the bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,571,277 Knab Feb. 2, 1926 2,160,570 Welt May 30, 1939 2,807,040 Adams et al Sept. 24, 1957 2,817,869 Hughes Dec. 31, 1957 2,937,766 Penn May 24, 1960 

